Tag: Los Angeles Lakers

Warriors improved play still lose to Pacers 129-118

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Utah Jazz’ Rudy Gobert (27) and the Golden State Warriors Willie Cauley-Stein (2) scramble under the basket for the loose ball at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Jan 24th

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Golden State Warriors hosted the Indiana Pacers at the Chase Center Friday night. The Warriors were hoping to rebound after being blown out by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.

The Warriors played with a lot of energy. They moved the ball well as they recorded 31 assists. They shot 49% from the floor, and they made 19 threes. It was not enough as they turned the ball over 20 times, and Indiana put 33 points on the board as a result of the Warriors sloppy play.

The Pacers, who average about 27 three-point attempts per game. Knocked down 17 in 28 tries Friday night. The Pacers like to make a lot of two-point buckets, and Friday night’s game was no exception. They shot 57% from the floor to beat the Warriors 129-118.

The Warriors got off to a good start early in the first quarter. They led 22-16 about halfway through the first period. The Pacers got their offense going, and they went on a 13-0 run to lead 29-22. The Pacers finished the first quarter leading 35-30.

The Pacers played well as they increased the lead to 50-38. The Pacers defense held the Warriors scoreless for over three minutes in the period. The Warriors continued to turn the ball over, and the Pacers capitalized on the Warriors miscues.

The Pacers finished the first half with a 16-point advantage 67-51. D’Angelo Russell led the W’s with 16. Marquese Chriss was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10. The Pacers’ T.J.Warren led his team with 21. Doug McDermott coming off the bench knocked down 15, and he helped propel the Pacers to the 16-point advantage.

The Warriors turned things around in the third period. D’Angelo Russell made several threes, and the Warriors went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to six points as they trailed 80-74. The Pacers regrouped and were able to finish the third period leading by 98-86.

In the fourth quarter, The Warriors continued to make threes. Jordan Poole made two consecutive threes to make it 110-103. The Pacers refused to fold. They went up by thirteen 121-108. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to trail 121-115. The Pacers were not fazed, and they went on to win 129-118.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors announced that they have traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a second-round draft choice. The Mavs needed to replace former Stanford star, Dwight Powell. Powell suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He will miss the rest of the season and part of the 2020-21 season, too.

With the loss, the Warriors drop to 10-37. Indiana won its eighth game out of the last ten played. They are 30-16 and are within two games of being in second place in the Eastern Conference. They will be in the playoffs. Malcolm Brogdon did not play due to an injury, and the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo is close to returning to action.

The W’s were led by D’Angelo Russell’s 37 points. Russell was nine for 13 from behind the three-point arc. Glenn Robinson had 18. Chriss finished with 13. Alec Burks had 11 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Draymond Green recorded a double-double with ten points, six boards, and 11 assists. Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, And Eric Paschall each added nine.

T.J.Warren had 33 for Indiana, Doug McDermott finished with 24, Jeremy Lamb and Damontas Sabonis each had 16. Sabonis pulled down ten rebounds to record a double-double. Aaron Holiday had 12. His brother Justin, a former Warrior, contributed eight to help the Pacers win.

The Warriors go on the road for the next two weeks. They meet the Philadelphia Sixers Tuesday night. Thursday they are in Boston, Saturday they play the Cavaliers. They go to Washington and Brooklyn before returning home to face the Lakers on February 8th.

Kings come up two points short, lose to the Lakers 99-97

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
LAK 2
Graphic: @NBCS

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings trailed the LA Lakers 99-97 with 5.5 seconds to go in the game on Friday night at Staples Center. After designing a play during a timeout, most of the crowd expected the ball to go to Bogdan Bogdanovic in order for “Bogi” to attempt a game-winning 3-point shot. Instead, the inbounds pass went to Harrison Barnes who slipped or was tripped on his way to the bucket.

Barnes went up in the air and was met head-on by Anthony Davis who blocked his potential layup. There was a lot of body contact, but because Barnes was out of control from the slip (or trip) no foul was called. Time expired and the Kings (4-7) had lost the game by two points.

I am now going to interject an editorial opinion. If the play had been the other way around with Davis driving on the hoop, slipping and Barnes making contact, a foul would have been called and Davis would have gone to the line to shoot two free throws. That is the inequity of officiating in the NBA. If you are a superstar and playing on your home court, the calls will always go your way. It is a major flaw that needs to be fixed but don’t hold your breath. No changes are coming anytime soon.

Spotlight on the Lakers (10-2)

  • LeBron James scored a game-high 29 points and made it a double-double game by dishing out 11 assists. He also played a game-high 38 minutes and 40 seconds. Not bad for an old guy.
  • Anthony Davis added 17 points and blocked four shots. His most important blocked shot came at the end of the game.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 points in just over 24 minutes of playing time. He went 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
  • Kyle Kuzma came off the bench to put up 13 points and hauling in five rebounds.
  • The Lakers outscored the Kings in the paint 42-36.
  • LA also won the battle of 2nd Chance Points 15-5.

Focus on the Kings

  • Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring attack with 21 points. Hield shot 6-for-15 from the floor. All six of his baskets were 3-pointers.
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic played almost 37 minutes on Friday night. He scored 18 points shooting 7-for-13 from the floor.
  • Richaun Holmes had a big game on offense and defense. Holmes scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Lakers.

Up Next

The Kings will host the Boston Celtics at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday at 12:30 PM.

The Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Warriors subdue Lakers to win final preseason game, 124-103

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors downed the Los Angeles Lakers 124-103 to finish the preseason with a 2-3 record. People have to keep in mind that the preseason games are used to see how the new players will mesh with the returning veterans. The Warriors used many combinations in the first four games to see who they would keep on the roster. The process was complicated by injuries to several players. Kevon Looney, Willie Cauley Stein, Alec Burks, and Alen Smailagic did not play a single minute in the preseason. Will the two big men available, Marquese Chriss, taking advantage of the opportunity, earn a spot on the roster? The 22-year old big man will probably start at center next Thursday when the Warriors open the season against the revamped Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors released Alfonzo McKinnie on Friday to make room for Chriss. The Warriors were up against the salary cap and had to either release McKinnie or trade a player. Golden State opted to release McKinnie.

As for Friday night’s game, the Warriors beat the Lakers for the first time this preseason. Perennial All-Star LeBron James did not play. The Lakers rested their other three big men. Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee all rested. The Lakers started Jared Dudley at the center position Friday night. Even with the big men on the Lakers’ bench, the Warriors began slowly. They trailed the Lakers 24-14 when they went on a 12-4 run late in the first period to trail by five 29-24. They outscored the Lakers 7-3 in the last minutes to close the gap to one 32-31.

Early in the second quarter, the Warriors grabbed the lead for the first time 41-40. Steph Curry led the Warriors’ offense as they finished the first half with a 16-point advantage 71-55. Curry hit a three as time ran out, and the crowd went crazy. Steph knocked down 22. D’Angelo Russell added 12, and Glenn Robinson had 10. The Lakers’ top scorers were Kentavios Caldwell-Pope with 17, and Zach Norvell had 16. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 40-23 in the second period.

The Warriors did not relinquish the lead in the third quarter. The Lakers, however, outscored Golden State by ten and finished the period trailing by six 94-88. The Warriors regrouped. D’Angelo Russell played well and drained a couple of threes. Curry re-entered the game with about six minutes left and made a four-point play to help cement the win. Curry knocked down a three and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to put the Warriors ahead 113-94.  Steph made another three to make it 119-96. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted his bench to finish the game.

Game Notes and Stats: Curry finished the night with 32 points. He made six three in 15 tries. He was on the court for 32 minutes of action. Marquese Chriss had a good night. He had 9 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists. Draymond Green also had 9 points. Green had 12 rebounds and 3 assists. He was on the court for 31 minutes. D’Angelo Russell tallied 29, and he, too, made six threes. Rookie Eric Paschall finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Glenn Robinson pitched in with 13 points and six rebounds.

The Lakers had four players in double figures. Caldwell-Pope had 25. Zach Norvell added 29, and he knocked down 5 threes. Rookie Devontae Cacok had a double-double. He recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Jackson finished with 11 points and 9 assists.

Up Next: The Warriors open the season Thursday, October 24th, at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The LA Clippers will be their opponents. They will be led by Kawhi Leonard. The game will start at 7:30 pm.

Lakers blow out the Warriors 126-93

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors for the third time in three tries this preseason. The Lakers had all their bigs in the lineup. Anthony Davis returned to action, LeBron James played 25 minutes, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee all kept the smaller Warriors from scoring. The Warriors rested Steph Curry and handed the point guard position to D’Angelo Russell. Russell responded with 23 points.

The Warriors were looking to use the new players to see how they would play against the Lakers. Head coach Steve Kerr is looking for players that will fill the voids left by the losses of Kevin Durant, Quinn Cook, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and the injured Klay Thompson. They want to know if Alfonzo McKinnie will be a starting forward. They want to see if he can make the team. They want to know if Jordan Poole can be the player to lead the second unit. They want to know if third-year player Damian Lee will be able to contribute to the second unit. Their big men, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney, will be able to handle Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, and other big men in the league. Looney and Cauley-Stein have not played in the preseason. The Warriors know what Looney can do. They will have to wait until Cauley-Stein recovers from his injury to find out if he meshes well with Curry and Russell.

The Warriors will have to make decisions on Jacob Evans. Evans has played well so far. He scored five Wednesday night. The Warriors need to know if Glenn Robinson III is the answer at forward. Robinson had the night off. Eric Paschall is a candidate to make the team, but not as a starter. The Warriors will use Marquese Chriss at the center position until Cauley-Stein returns.

There is no question that the Warriors are in a rebuilding year. There are so many questions and decisions that have to be made.

As for the game, The Warriors had three players in double figures. Russell led the team with 23. Draymond Green had 10, and Jordan Poole kicked in with 14. Damian Lee added 9. Paschall and Chriss each had 8.

The Lakers were led by LeBron James. James had 18. Dwight Howard had 13, Avery Bradley 18, Anthony Davis 8, JaVale McGee 12. Former Warrior Quinn Cook knocked down 16. He made four threes in five tries.

The Warriors shot 37% from the floor. The Lakers shot 49.2%. The Warriors made seven threes. The Lakers tallied 15. The Lakers outrebounded the Warriors 46-34.

Robinson and Steph Curry did not play.

The fans have to keep in mind that the Warriors are a work in progress. No one wants to see them get blown out, but it is a game that doesn’t count. The Warriors are looking at people that they think will benefit the team. Minutes are limited. Hopefully, they will get off to a good start.

The Warriors play the Lakers again Friday night at the Chase Center. It will be the final preseason game. The season starts for real on Thursday, October 24th, when they play the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center.

Lakers have no trouble downing the Warriors 104-98

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors met the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in the preseason. The Lakers did not use any of their key players. Neither did the Warriors except for Steph Curry. Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell had the night off. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr started Marquese Chriss at center, Eric Pascall and Glenn Robinson at forward, and Jordan Poole and Steph Curry started at guard, The Lakers countered with Jared Dudley at strong forward, Dwight Howard at center, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at the other forward position, and Alex Caruso and Zach Norvell at guard. The Warriors did not play well all evening long. The Lakers won easily 104-98.

It must be noted that this was a game that both coaches, the Warriors’ Steve Kerr and the Lakers’ Frank Vogel gave playing time to guys that are fighting for spots on the 15-man roster. Some players are hoping for a two-way contract. The Warriors have to make decisions on Chriss and McKinnie. The Warriors have salary cap limitations, and one or both may be either cut or traded. The Warriors are hoping that Pascall and Poole make the team and will be playing on the second unit. The Warriors are hoping that Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney get a chance to work with Curry, Russell, and Green before the season starts. That may be problematical as Cauley-Stein may not be healed by the time the season begins.

The Lakers led from start to finish. Both teams shot poorly for the first six minutes of the game. The Lakers played better and finished the first quarter with a 28-17 lead. The Warriors shot a miserable 18% from the floor. No one could hit a bucket. In contrast, the Lakers shot 42%. Were the Lakers playing great defense? Maybe. Were the Warriors out of sync? Definitely.

The Warriors improved in the second quarter. It was not enough to catch the Lakers, but they kept on shooting. The Warriors outscored LA by four to finish the first half trailing by seven 55-48. Steph Curry led the team with 14. Damian Lee and Alfonzo McKinnie each had 7. Marquese Chriss was a bright spot with six points and six boards. Zach Norvell led the Lakers with 12. Former Warrior JaVale McGee tormented his old mates with 9 points, and he had a couple of blocked shots as well.

The Lakers increased the lead to 17 in the third period 79-62. The Warriors Jacob Evans and Damian led the Warriors in scoring. Things changed in the fourth quarter. The Warriors led by Chriss and Poole cut the lead to three 97-94 after Poole hit a three. The Lakers regrouped and went on a 7-4 run to finish the game with a final score of 104-98.

Game Notes: The Lakers rested LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma. Anthony Davis was out with a sprained right thumb. Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels, and Talen Horton-Tucker. The Warriors rested Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell. Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Kevon Looney, and Alen Smailagic were not available due to injury.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Lakers again Wednesday night in Los Angeles. They return home to face the Lakers at the Chase Center Friday night for the final preseason game.

Warriors drop opening pre-season game to Los Angeles Lakers 123-101

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

sfgate.com photo

by Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO- The new-look Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 123-101 Saturday night at the Chase Center. It was the first pro basketball game in the new arena, and since it was a pre-season game, the results do not count. The Warriors are missing several players from their championship run.

Kevin Durant has gone to Brooklyn even though he will not play this season due to injury. Klay Thompson will not be available until after the All-Star game in February. His scoring and defensive play will be missed. The Warriors traded Andre Iguodala to Memphis, and Shaun Livingston retired. Backup guard Quinn Cook, who was a free agent, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are also a new-look team. They traded for Anthony Davis. They signed Dwight Howard. They re-signed former Warrior JaVale McGee. They also have Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo returning.

The Lakers won the first quarter 33-20. The Warriors outscored them in the second quarter 31-26. The Lakers won the third and fourth quarters to win easily 123-101.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors’ starters, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell, each played about 17 minutes in the game. Draymond did not score, but he had 7 boards and 5 assists. Russell scored four points in his time on the court. Curry had 18 points and made one three in five attempts.

The Warriors bench players had the following results. Rookie Eric Paschall played 24 minutes and had 11 points, 3 boards, and an assist.  Rookie Jordan Poole helped out with 17. Glen Robinson had four points. Jacob Evans III played 18 minutes and had 9 points. Damian Lee knocked down 9 in 15 minutes of action. Third-year veteran Marquese Chiss had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 13 minutes of play.

The W’s were missing Willie Cauley-Stein due to an ankle injury. Kevon Looney did not play either.

The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis. Davis scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of work. LeBron James had 15. Former Warrior JaVale McGee had 10 points and 16 boards in his 16 minutes on the floor. Dwight Howard added nine, and guard Alex Caruso had 10.

The Warriors have their work cut out for them as they are trying to rebuild. It will take time for the new players to mesh with the veterans. Many questions are surrounding the Warriors. Will the new players fit in? Will the Warriors be good on defense? Can coach Kerr and the coaching staff get them ready for the regular season? Will they make the playoffs?

The Western Division has improved. The Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets as well as the Lakers have all made significant improvements. Will the Warriors be competitive? These questions will be answered throughout the 82-game season. One pre-season loss does not make a season. Those questions will be answered when the bell ring to start the 2019-2020 season.

 

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Russell’s value for Golden State; How Cousins fits at the Lakers; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: twitter.com

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1. How much will the acquisition of DeAngelo Russell & Willie Cauley-Stein mean for Golden State?

#2 The Lakers are happy in picking up DeMarcus Cousins how much of a big piece of the puzzle and how much does he look forward to working with LeBron?

#3 The Miami Heat are rumored to picking up Russell Westbrook from the OKC Thunder. How badly does Westbrook want to go to Miami?

#4 Tony talks about the Oakland Raiders picking up running back Josh Jacobs and linebacker Te’Von Coney.

#5 How serious will the San Francisco Giants be about dealing pitcher Madison Bumgarner and reliever Will Smith  before the trade deadline?

#6 Kahwi Leonard signed a three-year, $103 million deal with the Clippers and the contract calls for a player option in his third year.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Skaggs’ death a tragedy, waiting for autopsy results; Nets aren’t just banking on KD when he gets back

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @KleinschmidtJD

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died on Monday at a Texas hotel. Amaury had a chance to work with and interview Skaggs when Amaury was doing Spanish play-by-play on Angels TV. He was a good kid and his mother, although her last name wasn’t Spanish, she was Mexican American.

He spoke Spanish. His dad’s last name was Skaggs. He was 27 years old. Amaury had a chance to speak with him during his time broadcasting Angels baseball. He was a nice young man always available to speak to with the media.

The Southland Police said they do not suspect foul play and it has not been determined if Skaggs passed away due to natural causes. Officers found Skaggs unresponsive at the hotel and was deceased at the scene.

Amaury also talks about how the moves at the Golden State Warriors and how the Kevin Durant move will impact the team as he moves to the Brooklyn Nets and Andre Iguodala was rumored to go to the Memphis Grizzlies so Golden State can shed that salary. Iguodala could end up at the Lakers. DeAngelo Russell comes to the Warriors from the Nets and will probably be the point guard on the second unit.

Amaury is the Oakland A’s Spanish play-by-play radio talent on KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Could Pope and Bullock end up as Warriors?; How could 4 people get shot at Raptors parade?; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @WarriorNationCP

On the Headlines Podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Los Angeles Lakers, who signed Anthony Davis are looking for more, but so are the Golden State Warriors, who are looking at the Lakers’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock. Will these additions at Golden State fill that void that the Warriors lacked during the final game of the NBA Finals?

#2 Regarding the shooting of four people at the Toronto Raptors parade in Toronto, does this indicate no one is safe anywhere and this could go down again if Toronto was to win again?

#3 The NBA Draft is coming up and the Sacramento Kings are expected to get some of the top picks. Where do they need to start from first?

#4 The Los Angeles Dodgers came back after dropping the first game of this three-game series with convincing wins, thanks to some great offense, On Tuesday night, the Dodgers got a 9-0 shutout and the Dodgers dominated again with a 9-2 win over the Giants on Wednesday night.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: World Cup–US Women no match for Thailand in 13-0 blowout; Kings to host Summer League at Golden 1; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BostonGlobe

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In the World Cup, US Women downed Thailand 13-0, Alex Morgan scored five goals and there was no mercy rule as the US Women kept pouring it on in Reims, France. The US took it to Thailand right from the kickoff.

#2 The win by the US topped the old record when Germany took it to Argentina in an 11-0 win in the 2007 World Cup.

#3 The Sacramento Kings will be hosting a California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center from July 1st through 3rd. Fans will get to take a look at the following teams: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

#4 With the Summer League coming up, where does Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton stand? He has been accused of sexual assault. His accuser is also holding the Warriors and Lakers legally responsible for the attacks. Is the Luke Walton case going to be a distraction or can Luke guide the Kings and get past it?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes won a friendly 4-3 over Sacramento Republic FC on Tuesday night at Avaya Stadium. Earthquakes star Chris Wondolowski said that the team is in a zone a winning mental state right now, and even though it was like a preseason game, the Quakes are pushing to win and won’t take any prisoners right now.

#6 Former San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence hit another one off the fence for the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night against the Red Sox. Pence chalked up his 14th home run for an inside-the-park home run against the Boston Red Sox. Pence has been in the zone this season. He’s also got the Rangers clubhouse pretty loose right now.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com